Why is Egypt's Christian minority targeted?

The twin church bombings which killed at least 48 worshippers were one of the deadliest in recent memory.

Two churches packed with Coptic worshippers have been bombed in Egypt, killing more than 40 people and wounding dozens more.

The first blast struck St George church in Tanta, a city north of the capital, Cairo. Then a suicide bomber struck outside the main Coptic church in Alexandria, St Mark's Cathedral, where Pope Tawadros II had led the service.

Worshippers had been celebrating Palm Sunday, one of the holiest days in the Christian calendar.

The bombings come just a few weeks before Pope Francis is due to visit Egypt.

They were the latest in a series of assaults on Egypt's Christian minority, who make up about 10 percent of the population and have been repeatedly targeted by armed groups.

What is the Egyptian government doing to protect the Christian minority?

Presenter: Laura Kyle

Guests:

Timothy Kaldas - Non-Resident fellow at Tahrir Institute for Middle East PoliticsAhmed Badawi - Senior researcher at the Centre for Middle Eastern and North African Politics at the Free University of BerlinOmar Ashour - Senior lecturer in Middle East Politics and Security Studies at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter